3.9 stars

Infused with tea magic, and action-packed to the brim, The Spice Road isn't a book like any other. Its premise was quite interesting, and I admit, it was what drew me into the book—won't you throw up your hands for a Arab-inspired high fantasy that touches upon the themes of colonisation, too?

But that being said, I can say that the book did a great job in well, everything. The characters felt fleshed out, you can make out that Imani has lived a life of privilege, blind to the plight and suffering of others. And as the threads slowly unravel around her, she is to choose between the education she received against the secrets she's uncovering. Taha, in my opinion, was a very well-written character. I think it was a good thing I say upon this review for some time, because otherwise, I would be hating on Taha. He's arrogant, yes, but he was so human. Would I say he's likable? Probably not, given his unpredictable nature. There isn't much about Qayn we discover in the book, but the author left loose ends, perfectly setting up for the sequel.

The pace, I admit, was awry in certain parts of the book. That's what made me reduce a star. And some parts of the book just felt frustrating to me; be it the decisions the characters make, or the way the plot progressed. But of course, it is all to be expected in a young adult novel—teenagers are unpredictable after all, and this was only a problem for me. The best part though, was the stance on colonialism, and how the author handles the topic, especially in the fantasy genre.

All in all, I can conclude that I will be reading the upcoming books by the author, because fantasies with good plot and set ups are my weaknesses. Especially if you leave countless questions unanswered. I can't quite speak on the representation as I am not of Arab descent ( pls look for own-voices reviewers!), but I loved how it wove into the plot beautifully. More the reason to pick this book up!

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the world building with Spice Road.
It was very well written and had some beautiful prose.
For me, I found the main character a little hard to gel with and perhaps some tropes were included that I don’t usually enjoy myself.

I would still recommend the book to fans of YA fantasy romance - and indeed I think this is a very high quality book within that sub genre.

I would read more from this author.

I usually love ya books, especially fantasy but i couldn't really connect with this one. I struggled with the world building and couldnt really have a gripp on it. I couldnt also form a relationship with the characters. The synopsis really showed a premise that i couldnt find throughout the book. I still recommend it.

Having read The Stardust Thief last year, and really wanting more fantasy set outside of Europe/European-based settings, I was really hoping for exciting things from this, but I just couldn't get on with it. I'm not a DNF-er usually, but I managed about two thirds and had to give up, the story was going nowhere fast, the characters weren't interesting or even likeable - any of them, and there was so much unnecessary description and internal monologuing/agonising/considering that literally stopped action scenes in their tracks, that I wondered if the book had seen an editor.

There was a lot to this that could have worked well, the travelogue-style plot, while these can become quite repetitive and scene based as the characters go from one location to the next, I really like a travelogue plot; enemies-to-lovers romance, I still like when done well; and a quest - the search for a lost brother with the members of the search party all having different, often conflicting motives. Throw that in with magic, and Arabian Nights-style adventure and it's a winning formula right?

Erm no, not for me.

Red flags: I know enemies-to-lovers is a popular trope, and it's YA, so there HAS to be romance, but the main relationship was such a bad relationship, I was really rooting for one of them to get some real-world common sense and just talk to each other like people and snap out of it! With the world and level of experience of fighting they had, Taha seemed far to old to be still playing class bully and getting away with it, with his friends sniping and snickering in the background, but the odd comment that wasn't an outright horrible one to Amira, and suddenly she finds him attractive, that's a toxic, outright abusive relationship right there, where the woman still feels for the man because for one minute out of each day he doesn't treat her like rubbish...but it's written like we're meant to root for them.

There also seemed to be a lot of things derived from popular fantasy films, to the point where I was taken out of the book because certain pieces of dialogue sounded too familiar, or because scenes in the book were too reminiscent of scenes from films I'd scene. For example, there was one scene where the characters are running through the streets of a town, and there's a description of having to duck as someone was carrying a carpet. It felt like I was reading someone describing a visual medium, perhaps 'One Jump' from Aladdin? Whether that's true or not, I have no idea, it's likely to be my brain associating the two, but the kind of slapstick nature of it, and the way it was described, still felt oddly disjointed and slotted into the rest of the narrative, as did certain conversations, and interruptions to the action where the FMC was learning a valuable life lesson, like the author wanted to drive their point home - 'see readers: this is why we should never judge a book by it's cover' type of lessons. 'Tis a shame for me, because the Fairyloot edition of this book is really beautiful. Sigh.

I really couldn't finish it, and wish I had some text examples to explain why a bit better, but I can't face trawling through it right now, I'll update my review should I finish the book and/or go back to further illustrate why I thought this didn't work for me personally.

On the other hand, after this, I read The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, another quest-style plot, also based in South-West Asia, but much more rooted in real-world geography, religion, and mythology, if you like this genre of fiction, I highly recommend that one instead.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really liked the worldbuilding in this novel, and the colonial parallels drawn were pertinent. However, I couldn't get past the fact that the main protagonist was so sheltered and spoiled that she lacked even the simplest empathy, and it was very obvious from the start that she was going to have an epiphany at some point during the novel. Having said that, I did still enjoy the plot and would read the next installment.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was an undoubtedly fun read that I got into very quickly. I particularly like the character's energy with Amirah and Qayn as exceptional standouts. I personally feel like the story got somewhat convoluted and loses steam towards the end but it was still mostly entertaining.

This is a plot-focused book, and that is where its strengths lie, with a quest to another city across a dangerous desert, and various adventure scenes along the way (the second half of the book was most compelling in that regard, once they get to the city). I think it’s pitched well for teenage audiences who enjoy a bit of melodrama and flowery prose.

However my preference is for character-driven stories, and I found that the characterisation fell flat. The main character, Imani, was entitled and a bit clueless while also being hailed as an incredible warrior (I don’t mind arrogant kids being arrogant kids I just need the characterisation to be fully fleshed out, and I felt like Imani wasn’t). The love interest is a ~mean boy~ but it seems like his bullying was/is going to be excused because his dad is a powerful doucebag so of course Taha struggles to not be a dick. Qayn was an ancient djinn but also seemed to act like a teenager half the time. I’ve already forgotten basically all the others.

As a side note, basically all the relationships (not just romantic, but between Imani and literally everyone) are combative in some way. I assume this was supposed to be a source of tension but instead it left me feeling a bit meh about it all.

While the worldbuilding we were given was interesting, I just with there was MORE of it. The concept of a magical city that’s been hidden from the rest of the world is solid. I really wish there was more about the magic tea. Instead it’s mostly a plot device, in terms of providing the set up for the book - Imani’s brother disappeared after being accused of stealing it - and by adding to stakes to situation where they need magic but the tea’s effects are wearing off. And I personally would have enjoyed a greater understanding of the political situations, but that is not a criticism of the book just a personal preference.

You know that feeling when you’re reading a nice book and you start to think “wait, this is actually a really good one”? This is the case.
Maiya Ibrahim crafted an enchanting story, with interesting characters and a truly fascinating plot.
She subverted tropes (the annoying little sister? you'll love her, even more than the protagonist) and crafted a tale of family, love, and loyalty.
What I loved the most was how both Imani and Taha subvert the trope of the lowborn and the highborn and their different views on their society, they're both indoctrinated in different ways and through the story we're able to see how this impact their way of thinking and acting.
Family, friendship and freedom are other themes well developed and even if they're not out of place in a YA novel, it's how they were written that stands out.
Also, we have a Djinn?
He's important to the story even if he's not present in a lot of scenes but it's enough to be a favorite (and maybe a part of a love triangle? with who?)

Amazing, amazing, amazing! I absolutely loved this book and just everything about it. The plot, the characters, the twists, just so so good. I can’t wait for book 2!

‘I wanted to go home with Atheer and Amira and have everything return to normal, but nothing will ever be the same after this, and I don’t know who to be mad at.’

I LOVE stories set in an Arabian-inspired lands filled with magic, Djinn, beautiful world building, romance and rebellion so I was SO looking forward to reading this one!
I did however find it fell a bit flat. It could possibly be a me problem- I just didn’t gel with the FMC, Imani, at all. I found her whiney and her naivety difficult to get past- her younger sister managed to see things fine, so how was she so entitled and BLIND!?
The ‘Romance’ aspect of this story also missed the bar a bit for me too,
So, I do think this story had a beautiful and vibrant world, but the characters could have been developed more and I just didn’t get on with this unfortunately.

I was really excited for this book but the main character Imani got on my nerves. I also didn't like the writing style much as it seemed to be one-liner after one-liner instead of the author telling a story.

I liked this, and I thought the magic system was pretty cool, I’ve never read anything like this.

It had a very historical feel to it, which was quite cool. And I loved seeing Imani’s battle of her heart.

The twists and turns definitely kept me on my toes and it was a really engaging book because of this, but I also do think that maybe there was a little too much of this? I do think I’m just being fussy in all honesty, and it was still a great book.

One of my favourite things, and perhaps the most applaudable, was the amount of valuable lessons passed in this book. There was a lot of wisdom shared from many characters, especially the older ones, and I absolutely love books that do that. It’s nice to take something away from a book other than a story.

I do however think there could’ve been a cliffhanger at the end. I don’t feel there was one. I wanted to be itching to have the next book in my hands, but I can’t say I feel that way because there isn’t something I’m desperately in need of knowing. Everything was concluded, and instead a new challenge is to be embarked, which is fine, and interesting enough for me to want to read the next book. But I think a gripping cliff hanger would have me yearning for it. Again, I could just be being fussy, but this is my view.

Overall, great read. Would recommend for fans of fantasy, with a hint of romance, and in my opinion history (albeit fictional)

With spice magic, an Arabian-inspired land, a mysterious djinn, a tense company on a dangerous journey & a dash of romance, this YA fantasy debut is worth picking up —especially with themes like colonialism and family being explored. Full review will be posted on the blog on March 07, 2023 and will be updated on here too.

I had high hopes for this, but - and this is very much a me issue, because I'm just very picky with fantasy - this book didn't live up to them. The plot, and especially the world building, had a lot of potential, but the characters didn't stand out to me, which made it hard to feel invested. They felt like very standard YA protagonists that didn't really feel unique.

Spice Road had a really interesting premise to me but unfortunately it missed the mark in its projection. The first 20% flew by but then I quickly lost interest until the last 15%. The one thing that kept me reading was the magic system. Infuriatingly, it's never really explained but the people in the narrative have different affinities to magical abilities. So one can manipulate steel, one can manipulate animals etc etc

I would have loved more on this! Like I said the premise really intrigued me, quickly into the narrative we are launched on to our adventure, the world building is good but the characters are a little lack lustre. I like Qayn, the djinni and wanted more from Taha's group who weren't overly developed.

The end of the book really picked up the pace so I've yet to decide if I will carry on with the next book but I'll definitely be tempted in the hope that everything and everyone is explored more!

I started it a few days before release day because I hoped I'd be able to read it before it came out, but back then I wasn't in the mood for a long fantasy book, so I ended up leaving it for a bit. I came back to it a couple days ago because I was finally in the mood, but I still ended up DNFing it at 54%.

It’s ya and it’s a trilogy… did the book really have to be almost 500 pages long?

The premise of a Middle Eastern fantasy with magic fueled by tea sounded amazing, but the way it’s executed made it feel like nothing interesting was actually happening. At the point where I stopped reading the plot was starting to become a little more interesting, but I stopped anyway because of the characters (they seriously made the reading experience painful).

The characters in general were annoying and flat, but the main character was the worst of all. I tried, I really did, but Imani is so entitled, insufferable and naive, I can’t fucking stand her. She literally acts like an arrogant child all the time. The part where Qayn snapped at her and told her "You will know the truth when you deserve it, but the ignorant deserve nothing" was totally deserved.

Taha’s an asshole to Imani for years and they’re “rivals”, then they actually talk to each other ONCE and she already goes all “oh no I’m falling for him”. Excuse me??
At some point Taha starts acting somewhat nicely a few times to her in private just to be a douche again to her in front of the others and I’m just like “are you 12? What is your problem".

Also, that scene where everyone meets Qayn, and Taha has that weird jealous moment when he asks if Imani is in love with Qayn was just random and weird. Qayn has been bound to Imani for like four days, and Taha has had two decent conversations with Imani in all the years they had known each other. How is anyone supposed to be in love with anyone here?

I found out this story has a love triangle after I had already started reading it, but I don't see how any kind of romance can fit in here, or how am I supposed to even root for anyone. Taha is the typical ya book asshole/bully, so no thank you. Qayn is actually the only interesting character in this story, but I'm still not rooting for him because he deserves way better than Imani.

I might come back to this book some day in the future, but for now it's a no from me.

Insgesamt hat mir das Buch gut gefallen. Ich mochte die Geschichte, die Buchwelt und auch die Charaktere. Die Reise, die das Buch beschreibt ist spannend und abwechslungsreich. Es gibt viele gute Szenen zwischen den Charakteren und man erfährt auch sehr viel über sie und die Welt in der sie leben. Trotzdem hat mir etwas die Tiefe bei den Figuren gefehlt. Zum Ende hin wurde dies aber immer besser und ich könnte mir vorstellen, dass es in zwei Band genau das geben wird. Daher bin ich sehr gespannt.

Spice Road was one of my anticipated reads for 2023, and it did not disapoint. I loved Imani as a character and how she has to adapt and evolve as new information is thrown her way throughout the story.

Spice Road takes place mostly as a journey away from the society of Qalia which is hidden behind the sands. In the wider world however, there’s a war for resources (spice) and Imani’s brother has defected to help the people there, but Imani plans to bring him home.

The magic and explainations around Qalia and the spice/tea magic that they have is really easy to understand. I liked that magic is something they have to learn to harness and adapt to, rather than this being another book around forbidden or lost magic.

One of the key themes throughout was class within society. Imani not only has privilege of being in Qalia society and therefore hidden from war and colonisation, she’s in the upper class and so never really has had to worry about food, or consequences for her actions. Her academic rival, Taha, is the main character that repeatedly points this out but we also see this from within Imani’s family when her sisters owns up to stealing for those less fortunate. It was woven into the overall storyline well, and I liked that Imani actually grew from this.

The first half of this book was a little slow for me, but the second half really picked up. I loved the action at the end, and really enjoyed Imani's character development throughout. The world building and magic system was well written and I can't wait to see where this story goes in the next book!

I'm not the biggest fan of YA so this one was just not for me. I wanted to give it a go because I love Middle Eastern fantasy but I couldn't really connect with the main character. I think Maiya has a very promising future ahead of her and I hope she writes an adult fantasy series at some point!